environment

Me. To our new worship leader. In a conversation where I was questioning him about what we’re going to do to “step it up a notch” this year.

And,
as soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

Why?

Because
I had just caught myself doing the exact
thing that I’m going to spend the rest of this post encouraging YOU not to do.

Which
is this: don’t make Easter Sunday… this singular day… this high holiday that
gets the “all-hands-on-deck” approach in our churches (right along with
Christmas Eve and Mother’s Day*)… don’t make it somehow more important than any
other day.

Now,
before you roll your eyes as dramatically as the stone was rolled away from the
tomb (#EasterHumor) ask yourself these Easter Sunday questions:

Will
someone in your church make sure the
volunteer greeters are “the nicer ones” on Easter Sunday? (some of you know what I’m talking about)

Will
the speakers in your service use different
verbiage to be thoughtful of those who don’t attend church regularly?

Will
there be special communication
pieces that get passed out or more intentionality around which announcements
get highlighted?

Will
your pastor’s message be more
passionate, more “seeker-friendly”, more salvific, or more or less any characteristic, when compared to
other weeks?

Will
there be extra follow-up or
invitations extended after Easter
Sunday that go above and beyond what’s typically done to connect with guests?

If
you answered “yes” to any of the above… the next question is: Why? Why is there an extra special
effort made to do something really
over-the-top on this one Sunday –
instead of EVERY week aiming to be thoughtful of who’s walking through our
doors?

To
get all those “guaranteed” people to come back, right? So that they might meet
Jesus and come to know and believe He is who He says He is and is worth
trusting and following with their whole life? THAT’S why we have the nice
greeters on Easter, right?

I raise these questions because I suspect I’m not alone in being completely guilty of making Easter a big deal and losing sight of the fact that…

EVERY time 30 or 300 or 3,000 people wake up on a Sunday and drive to the same location and commit to spending at least an hour or two of their time with other humans in collective recognition of the ONE human who lived and died and rose again over 2,000 years ago – that that’s worth celebrating! THAT’S worth inviting everyone we know to Every. Week.

Not.
Just. Easter.

At
Ministry Architects, we love Easter. We also love the other 51 Sundays of the
year – and every day in between. And we want churches to be equipped to do what
they’re called to. It’s why we ask questions like…

Why
aren’t the nice greeters the ones who greet people ALL the time?

(practical application question:Does your church have a consistent way of helping a person discern
their gifts then inviting them to the
best-fit places they can serve?)

Why
isn’t there heightened intentionality with communication every Sunday?

(practical application question:Does your church have a known vision,
long-range goals, and core values that all opportunities must align
with?)

Why
do we seem to care more about the guests on Easter than we do about new, rare,
or infrequent attendees the other 51 Sundays a year?

(practical application question:Does
your church have a consistent process
for connecting with people that impacts their return?)

The
Shepherd left the 99 to go find the 1 who was lost. And I just wonder…

…when
we all work so hard to bring our A-games to Easter Sunday, couldn’t one
understanding of this parable be that even when just 1 new person shows up on a
random, non-Easter Sunday, they get to…

interact with a body of people who have a Spirit about them that’s palpable from the parking lot to the pulpit?

experience a whole orchestra, resounding throughout a sanctuary, down the halls, and all the way out the doors?

be
connected with and known with a fierce intentionality by all those around?

I remember one night I had six kids show up for junior high youth group. That’s right, SIX KIDS. Normally, we’d have around 25-30, so six was pretty shocking. A few of my leaders were making negative comments about where all the kids were. Instead of dwelling on who wasn’t there, I decided this was a great chance to love on who was there, so we hopped in a few cars and took a special trip to McDonalds for a few ice cream cones.

There is one thing I’ve noticed about kids; they don’t really care how many others are there, as long as they know they are loved and valued by someone in the room. A youth ministry centered on negativity will have a toxic climate. It will be difficult to grow past that, but youth ministries that celebrate even what seems like a total failure, will find joy in serving young people, because love is what drives them.

Ask yourself these all too important questions:

Is my youth ministry surrounded by positive stories or negative ones?

How is my attitude either positively or negatively affecting my ministry?

How do I handle a negative/toxic attitude in one of my leaders or students?

If nearly all of your kids were gone one night, how would you respond?

How you answer those questions deeply affects what kind of climate you create at your youth ministry. That’s right, the climate YOU create. You set the tone by how you lead, navigate negativity in leaders and students, and deal with what seems like disappointment. Learn to celebrate even what seems like a total failure, like six kids showing up at youth group or an outreach event that drew only a handful of kids. Sure, do some smart evaluation as to why only a few kids showed up, but don’t let negativity steal the joy that could be had for you and your students.

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Ministry Architects is a highly-skilled team of pastors, teachers, executives, youth workers, children's pastors, writers and professors. We're fanatical about success and we can help your church find clear direction and sustained momentum backed up by properly aligned resources.